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Everything You Need to Know About Bringing Electricity to a New Home

If you’re building a new home, it really is beneficial to install electricity onto your site as early as you can, whether that’s by utilising a generator or mains electricity.

In this blog, we’re going to explore everything you need to know about bringing electricity to your property.

How can I get connected to the National Grid?

You’ll first need to ask for a quote for a new connection from the distribution network operator (DNO) who is responsible for the electricity in your area. It’s best to do this as soon as your building plans and proposals are ready.

However, it’s worth pointing out that this won’t be cheap, so you need to think about this from the outset of your project. Once you receive an initial quotation, you need to be aware that this only available for a limited time, so bear in mind that nothing will happen until you’ve paid the quote in full and you’re able to work around the DNO’s schedule.

How much is it?

There isn’t a definitive answer to this, as no two sites will be exactly the same. However, you do need to assess your situation before you make an estimate with respect to costs.

For example:

Scenario One: A new bungalow on the edge of a town or village where the supply runs overhead, and the pole is situated on the plot.

Solution: The supply will be brought down the pole and directed through trenches underground.

Cost: Around £450

Scenario Two: Needs a single-phase supply routed from the mainline which already runs across the owners land.

Solution: This would involve installing a new pole with a mounted transformer attached, on the land with 35 metres of cable running to the property.

Cost: Roughly £7,000

Scenario Three: Landowner requires an electrical connection in a rural location.

Solution: Will require the DNO to perform a 60-metre road dig, which goes up as far as the landowner’s boundary.

Cost: Up to £10,000

There are countless other scenarios, but this just gives you an idea of how different costs can be for different situations.

Which DNO will install my connection?

Various DNOs exist across the country, each responsible for managing the electricity supply in different areas; these are as follows:

If you require more information, visit nationalgrid.com, if you need help finding your DNO.

What is a wayleave & will I need one?

The network companies are well within their rights to cross public land to bring your electricity supply, but they don’t have rights when it comes to crossing private property or land owned by public bodies, such as:

  • Forestry Commission
  • British Waterways
  • Network Rail

If this is the case, a wayleave will be required, which will involve a fee which is paid to the owner of the land – think of it as a landlord, tenant kind of scenario. If the wayleave is agreed, the energy company will quote you for the work.

The cost of the wayleave will depend on whether there are other alternatives to crossing the land owned by someone else. In the worst case, you could be rejected entirely, as the landowner has every right to reject the proposal.

How is the supply brought to site?

The DNO will provide you with a quote for routing the electricity supply to the meter box on your property. They will need a lockable or meter box (which you will need to supply at your own expense) to terminate the supply. This can be fixed to a pole or built onto a wall.

If the supply is coming from overhead supplies or across private land, expect the quote to include the road dig that we mentioned earlier. You will, however, be responsible for digging or arranging any trenches on your property to the meter box yourself.

The DNO will provide and lay the cables from the main box to your meter box, where the supply will terminate in the meter box.

What about off-grid power?

More and more people these days are considering off-grid power as a viable alternative to DNO installed electricity solutions, for the following reasons:

Power Cuts

Power cuts can occur for numerous reasons when connected to the national grid, and any outage can stretch for just a few minutes to a few weeks, in some cases. A solar off-grid system is capable of storing energy within the battery pack, which is utilised during outages.

Cheaper

Going off the grid means you have no costly electric bills to pay. And while the system does require a sizeable upfront investment, the long-term savings far outweigh this investment.

No Complex Infrastructure

Having an off-grid system may seem complicated, but with Powerguard, we take care of everything for you, like the solutions we implemented at Otmoor Farm, for instance. The other benefit is that you don’t have to worry about contacting a DNO, which could set you back thousands if you need a wayleave and you live in a remote location.

If you’d like to learn more about what we’ve covered in this blog, or you’re interested in our off-grid power systems or any of our other products or solutions, then why not contact us today for more information?

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